MLB Embarks on AI Revolution: Major League's Next Big Thing Hits The Bases!
MIAMI (AP) — Major League Baseball's experiment of a robot umpire technology system allowing challenges to checked swing calls is moving up from Class A to Triple-A. MLB will also test moving second base slightly to position it entirely within the infield, which would reduce by 9 inches the distance between first and second, and between second and third, according to a memorandum sent to teams last week. It will try out reducing permissible disengagements by pitchers from two to one per plate appearance and stricter limits on batter timeouts and resetting the pitch clock for issues with PitchCom , the electronic signaling device that has been used since 2023.
There will also be a test allowing starting pitchers to re-enter games in the lowest level of the minor leagues. It's not expected this test will lead to MLB implementation, but it's being considered for the minors to improve development and player health by allowing more flexible workload management. MLB's Automated Ball-Strike Challenge System , the so-called robot umpire, launches when the season starts March 25 following tests that started in the minors in 2019 .
A batter, catcher or pitcher can appeal a ball/strike call by the human umpire under a system in which each team has two challenges and keeps its challenge if successful. Additional challenges become available to teams in extra innings. An experiment began last May 20 in the Class A Florida State League allowing challenges to checked swing calls, and the test was extended to the Arizona Fall League.
Starting on May 5, the checked swing test will take expand to the Triple-A Pacific Coast League in additional to the FSL. “The batter, pitcher or catcher may also appeal the umpire’s decision regarding whether the batter swung at a pitch,” according to the memo from MLB vice president of on-field strategy Joe Martinez to general managers and other club executives. “A swing will be considered to have occurred if the maximum angle between the bat head and the bat handle exceeds 45 degrees.
” Martinez said the strikeout rate was cut by 3% during last year's testing. In addition, umpires at games in the Triple-A International League will be instructed to apply the 45-degree threshold for determining swings. The Official Baseball Rules do not specify a standard for checked swings, stating only: “A strike is a legal pitch when so called by the umpire, which is struck at by the batter and is missed.